Best Meditation Apps · alternatives
Best Calm alternatives (2026)
6 alternatives to Calm in meditation apps, ranked by entry price. Calm starts at $5.83/mo. Every figure links to the vendor's own page and the date we captured it.
Key takeaways
- Cheaper than Calm: Aura Health, Happier (formerly Ten Percent Happier), Insight Timer, Waking Up.
- Free alternatives: Aura Health, Happier (formerly Ten Percent Happier), Insight Timer, Waking Up.
- Closest by price: Aura Health ($0/mo), Happier (formerly Ten Percent Happier) ($0/mo), Insight Timer ($0/mo).
Calm alternatives compared
| # | Alternative | Entry price | Free | HIPAA | Best for | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aura Health | $0/mo | Yes | — | Users wanting the broadest content variety (meditation, therapy, coaching, prayer, ASMR) in one app | aurahealth.io |
| 2 | Happier (formerly Ten Percent Happier) | $0/mo | Yes | — | Skeptics and beginners — app and brand explicitly target 'the fidgety skeptic' | meditatehappier.com |
| 3 | Insight Timer | $0/mo | Yes | — | Cost-conscious users who want a large free library with no time limit | insighttimer.com |
| 4 | Waking Up | $0/mo | No | — | Philosophy- and science-minded users seeking secular, intellectually rigorous content | wakingup.com |
| 5 | Balance | $5.83/mo | No | — | Users who want a highly personalized, adaptive meditation experience | apps.apple.com |
| 6 | Headspace | $5.83/mo | No | — | Beginners wanting structured guided courses | apps.apple.com |
Data current through 2026-06-14. Compare any two directly on the Meditation Apps index.